There are many intimidating judges that one may face on a cooking show (the fiery Gordon Ramsay definitely comes to mind), but none could compare to a recent surprise guest on last Monday's Australian edition of "Master Chef": the Dalai Lama!
The contestants and audience were all stunned when none other than the Dalai Lama himself suddenly appeared as a surprise guest judge for the July 18th show.
Luckily for the contestants their karma all stayed intact, as the Lama was very kind in his comments about the dishes. According to Reuters, he opined that, "As a Buddhist monk, it is not right to prefer this food or that food." The harshest critique levied was towards a contestant who served undercooked gnocchi, whom he said "tried their best." If only everyone could be so forgiving (especially of undercooked gnocchi).
This is the third lesson I learned and put into practice after my 7 day Yoga Immersion with Mun Ching. When we were discussing about my travels in South East Asia: I said, I love Myanmar and I hate Singapour. She gently commented that having strong dislikes over certain things such as food or country is another structural defect of the Mind which will affect our balance state of mind and restrict our thinking and growth. Strong dislike is also known as Aversion.
Aversion is that which dwells upon pain. — yoga sutra 2: 8
The man whom desires enter as rivers flow into the sea, filled yet always unmoving — that man finds lasting peace. — Bhagavad Gita
Pleasure and pain are part of life. We humans seek pleasure and avoid pain in the pursuit of happiness. But ironically, when we cling to pleasure or even cling to the aversion of pain, it instead brings suffering and loss of happiness.
My dislike for Singapour and its society has only brought further pain to me and has made me behaved in a fashion which is not in keeping with me, it had fed into my ego, such as saying, when I met some one from Singapour, “ Sorry, I am sorry you cant find a better place to live”.
Mun Ching asked, what is that you hate about Singapour? I realized that the usual answers were hollow in the context of a discussion about Yoga Sutra. As attachment to tasty foods lead to mindless eating, even an attachment to an aversion, can create pain within yourself. It is better to get rid of the pain by taking care of the aversion to the object.
How all the old philosophies have so much in common, the above statement by Dalai Lama, to reassert that judging is against the behavior of a monk, is in keeping with aversion and attachment. It is also well in keeping with the Native American Indian Philosophy that judging others is a learned behaviour and that Europeans are taught to judge others from an early age
By Judging something, you are strengthening your kleisha of Aversion which feeds into your Ego and disturbs your balance. Always try to control your Kleishas..
I knew that I had to abandon jamaican society even though life was very pleasant. Pleasant Life does not lead to happiness (more meaningful life would).
The Native Nurse assigned to me warned me " Learn not to be judgmental, do not judge Indians, the man sitting in front of you at the Consulting room, may be wearing an old pair of jeans and a tee shirt, but he could be the leader of the Eagle Clan with a fund of knowledge which you as a doctor will never manage to accumulate! ". So with one stroke, she taught me about judgment and also about humility.
Isn't it nice to have your best friend in Asia, as your latest teacher?
